


The Descent into Hell is Easy

by raphaelsontiago



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Dimension Travel, F/F, M/M, a lot of murder tbh, dont read if youre not down for a lot of character death, just an excuse for dark simon im surprised this has a real plot, or read anyways, probably the darkest thing ive ever written lmao, really dark man, this ones for you jen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-06-16
Packaged: 2018-07-15 08:37:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7215328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raphaelsontiago/pseuds/raphaelsontiago
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clary needs to fix what she's done to her dimension, but to do that she must travel to another for a spell, another dimension where Valentine isn't the biggest threat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Descent into Hell is Easy

**Author's Note:**

> there's so much character death in this, so don't say you weren't warned.

Clary didn’t know how this became her life. A month or two ago, her biggest worry was getting into art school, and, now, she’s about to travel through dimensions for the second time. Not like she wanted to, but she needed to do this. They decided that it would be for the best if she went back in time and stopped her past self from freeing Camille. However, the last ingredient left for the spell that’ll allow her to do that was in another dimension.

Naturally, it was. Why would anything in her life be easy?

Isabelle had many concerns about the interdimensional travel, but they were quickly dismissed once the severity of the situation was brought up.

Since Camille was freed, the shadowhunters lost the support of nearly all of the downworld, which was dangerous, especially with the upcoming war against Valentine. Not to mention, Simon had practically become a shell of who he used to be. He never smiled, and Clary was almost certain that he was starving himself. He was pale and withdrawn, and Clary saw him collapse the other day, but, upon confrontation, Simon just snapped.

“Do you finally have time for me, or am I suddenly useful again?” His words had cut like a knife and Clary had wanted to say he didn’t mean that, but he did. The scorn written on his face had made that quite clear.

Simon was hurting and it was all her fault. If she hadn’t introduced him to the shadow world, he would have never met Camille, and he would’ve never became a vampire. She won’t be able to change that, but she will change the outcome of it. He won’t have to betray his kind again. Clary knows where the Book of the White is now, they won’t need to free Camille for it.

The rules of the dimension would be the same as last time. Clary would merge with her counterpart, she’d get the root, and get out. Simple enough, as long as she remembers what her mission is. 

“Be careful.” Isabelle grabbed Clary’s arm before she stepped into the portal. “I can’t lose you too.” 

Clary nodded. If her plan succeeds, Izzy wouldn’t lose anyone. Everything would be as it should. 

Stepping through the portal, she came to back in the Institute. 

Clary wasn’t prepared for the sight of it. It was big, per usual, but it wasn’t booming with shadowhunters. It was darker somehow, like the sun wasn’t shining as brightly. She looked around to see that she was alone. 

Taking out the seraph blade in her pocket, she creaked open the door. Her footsteps were light, to ensure that she wouldn’t be heard. 

“Clary?” She whipped around at the voice, gasping when she saw who it was.

Jace Wayland was standing before her, in all his glory. She thought she’d never see her brother again, not after he left with Valentine. 

“Jace!” Her seraph blade hit the floor with a clatter, and Clary pulled him into a hug. She felt his arms hesitantly wrap around her and pull her closer.

“Yeah, I’m happy you’re alive too.” Jace laughed quietly putting a hand in her hair and messing it up. Clary pulled away from the hug and frowned.

“Where’s everyone else?”

“Magnus and Alec are probably off banging somewhere. They want to ‘make the most of life before it ends.’ Or something like that. Lydia went back to Idris to make a report.” 

“And Izzy?” Clary felt her mind blur for a moment and she blinked back into reality. She had a goal here. She couldn’t care about these alternate versions of her friends.

“Of course you want to hear about your girlfriend. Honestly, I’m disappointed, but not surprised.” Jace winked and Clary flushed. Isabelle? Her girlfriend? She never really thought about it. Back in her dimension, she was too fixated on Jace even consider a different love. It made sense though. Isabelle’s saddened looks whenever she and Jace kissed had a whole new meaning now.

Clary would definitely have to talk to her when she gets home.

“Where is she?” Clary rolled her eyes, and Jace pointed to the room down the hall. 

“I wouldn’t go in there though. She’s still pretty upset.” Jace whispered, expression sobering.

“About what?” Jace raised an eyebrow and looked at her incredulously. 

“Hodge, of course.” 

“Hodge? What happened to Hodge?” The look worsened and Jace put a hand on her forehead.

“Did you get sick or something? Your precious bloodsucker killed him, remember?” Clary stepped back, slapping the hand away from her. 

“Simon?” Clary wasn’t sure she heard him right. She knew other vampires. Maybe this Clary was friends with them. It couldn’t be Simon. Simon was sweet. He couldn’t even kill spiders by himself. The only explanation for this was that Clary had other friends. Maybe she had gotten close with Raphael or perhaps Camille. As unlikely as it sounded, this was an alternate dimension. Anything was possible.

Clary then remembered the pure ice in Simon’s voice when he had snapped at her back home. Maybe Jace was talking about Simon. Like she said, anything was possible.

Jace nodded, confirming what Clary already knew to be true. 

“He lost control again. We tried to talk to Raphael about it, but Simon won’t talk to him either. Not since what happened with his mom, but you know all about that. Alec still wants him dead for it. It’s one thing losing control when you’re first turned, but Hodge? It just made it personal for us. You understand right?”

Clary nodded, numbly, but she didn’t understand. Not at all. How screwed to hell is this universe if Simon’s not by her side? Even when she had nothing, she had Simon. He was always there for her, whether if it was to comfort her, or provide her with comic book recommendations. She honestly couldn’t picture a world without the two of them being best friends.

This Simon wouldn’t even talk to her, according to Jace.

Clary knew that this wasn’t her world, and that she had no business here, but, if this Clary was anything like her, then she doesn’t want Simon hurting either. 

That’s why Clary was going to fix whatever wrongs that had transpired between the two of them, because, for better or for worse, Simon and Clary were there for each other, and that’ll never change. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Simon didn’t know how this became his life. He used to be normal, a mundane, or whatever those shadowhunter assholes wanted to call him. He used to be carefree, but now he had to worry about tearing the people he loved apart. He already did it to his mother.

Simon bit his lip as he reflected on how that day went. He climbed out of a grave, for one thing, and he had thought that was rock bottom. Oh boy, was he wrong. Running home afterwards was a mistake. He should’ve just went to the DuMort with Raphael, but, no. He didn’t because he wanted to be a mundane so badly. That was his first mistake.

His second one was hugging his mother. God, had she smelled delicious. It was as if his entire being was screaming at him to rip, tear, bite his mother and the screaming just got so loud that he did. 

And the blood, oh god, the blood was heavenly. It wasn’t bitter like the blood Raphael gave him at the graveyard. It was sweet. It was so much better than anything he had ever tasted, and he needed more. 

It was like a void had opened up inside of him and it ate at him with every passing day. He knew Raphael could tell. He had a look in his eyes. It was pitying almost, but it was also fear. 

It was then that Simon finally looked in the mirror. He was pale and his eyes were bloodshot, his veins blackened at the sides of his temples. 

He needed to feed, and he couldn’t do it off of that rotten animal blood.

So, he left. 

Simon left and found Hodge. It crossed Simon’s mind that what he was doing was wrong, that Clary wouldn’t approve of what he was doing. 

He scoffed. Clary Fairchild wouldn’t approve of what he was doing. Boo-hoo. 

When he was mundane, he would’ve sworn up and down that he loved Clary. What he felt for her wasn’t love. How could it be when Clary couldn’t even be there for him as a friend? She left him for the shadowhunters. He should’ve known that the moment he was taken by the vampires, but no. He continued following her around like a yippy dog. 

How funny. Jace could be right about something.

That era of his life was through, he decided. No more would he idolize Clary. She couldn’t save him, or his mother, but she’d tear the world apart just to save her mother. He meant nothing to her, clearly, so he was just showing her the same courtesy.

Tearing into Hodge Starkweather was liberating to say the least. And he thought human blood was good. Angel blood was so much tastier. The best part was Hodge never saw it coming. He’d taken one look and wrote Simon off as weak and pathetic.

There was nothing weak or pathetic about how Simon ripped his throat out.

That’s how the Lightwoods had found him, kneeling next to Hodge’s body, drinking like his life depended on it, because it did. 

“Simon!” Isabelle yelled, tearing Simon away from the lifeless figure that lay before them.

It took Simon only a split second to realize what was happening. They had found him feeding off of an innocent, which is a direct violation of the accords. However, Simon was a fledgling and he knew that would get him off scot free.

“I-Isabelle?” He coughed, wiping the blood away from his mouth. He injected all the fear he could muster into his gaze and he saw Isabelle’s face soften. “Wh-Wha’s going on?” 

His words slurred. Whether that was on purpose or just an after effect of the high that came with angel blood was to be determined. 

Once he blinked his vision back into focus, he noticed Alec pointing an arrow at him. He immediately stumbled back, trying to feign the appearance of the weakling they thought he was. 

“A-Alec, I. . . I didn’t m-mean it, I swear. G-” Simon choked, and Alec lowered his bow. “I’m so sorry.”

It was a blatant lie, but, luckily for him, no one else knew it. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The more Simon went without angel blood, the more he craved it. He couldn’t even bring himself to care anymore, not even when Clary called him, asking to see him. Apparently, she wanted to talk. Bullshit. She never wanted to talk. She just wanted to use him. All Clary wanted was to save her mother. He wouldn’t be played like some pawn. He wouldn’t let her use him again.

He was stronger than her, and sooner or later, she’d know it. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clary frowned, looking down at her phone. Simon had ignored her calls. Simon never ignores her calls.

“Babe, what are you doing?” Izzy hugged her from behind and kissed her cheek.

“Nothing, I just. . . I wanted to check on Simon.” Clary shook her head. Something was off here, but she couldn’t quite figure it out yet.

“Come back to bed.” Her girlfriend mumbled against her cheek, pressing another light kiss there before going back to their room.

Clary had to blink back into reality once more when she saw Isabelle standing at their door, smiling at her like she was the light of her life.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was three days before she got a call back from Simon. She was eating with Isabelle and Magnus, when she got it, and she immediately answered.

“Simon!” She exclaimed. 

“Hey, Clary.” Hey, Clary. Days of radio silence and all she got was ‘Hey, Clary.’ She would’ve yelled at him if she didn’t think it would jeopardize any and all progress she could make with him.

“What’s up?” She asked, casually. Nailed it.

“I think I have a lead on your mom. I know she means a lot to you and I’m so sorry I haven’t been helping you lately. It’s just. . . I don’t know. I’ve got a lot on my mind these days. But, if I couldn’t save my mom, I might as well help you save yours.” Clary let out a sigh of relief. This Simon was just as sweet as hers. He wanted to save her mom and Clary respected him for that. She was kinda ashamed that she ever thought he could've killed Hodge on purpose, even for a moment. 

“Really? What is it?” 

“Can you meet me at your place? I don't know who’s working with Valentine here or not.” Clary told him that she would meet him and hung up. 

“Clary, what are you doing? You need back up.” She shook her head, disregarding Izzy’s concerns, just as she had in her own dimension, and she met Simon. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Simon barely contained his glee when he heard Clary stomp into the apartment. She was so predictable. Any word of her mother and she’d come rushing in like a bull in a china shop. 

Everything was falling into place. 

“Simon? Where are you?” Clary called. He almost cackled at how well this was turning out. 

“Clary! I’m up here!” Simon heard the footsteps get closer and closer until Clarissa Fairchild stood before him. 

“You found my mom?” Simon snorted. Of course, she only came to see her mother. Why would she ask if Simon’s alright after killing two people, including his own mother? All she cared about was herself. 

“Yeah, I found her.” He smiled. Clary’s face contorted into a look of annoyance. 

“Well, where is she?” 

“Patience is a virtue, Clary. One you are sorely lacking.” His grin only grew as Clary crossed her arms. Her face was almost as red as her hair, which was nearly as funny as the expression on her face.

If he knew being this difficult was so much fun, he would’ve started a long time ago.

“This isn’t funny, Simon! Where is my mother?” 

“Come on, it’s a little funny.” All he got from her was a glare. Simon let out a sigh.

Guess it was time for the main event.

He lead Clary to a different room where he had Jocelyn. The poor woman had no idea what was coming. She hadn’t heard about what he had done so it was rather easy to rope her into coming with him, especially when he said he would bring her to Clary. Shadowhunters were so easy to manipulate. They were putty in his hands, and he was going to build a blood soaked palace. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Mom!” Clary pulled her mother into a hug, squeezing her tight, like she was afraid that if she let go, she’d never see her again. She didn’t care that her mother was laughing quietly like she was being unreasonable, or that Simon was still there, standing awkwardly in the background. All that mattered was that her mother was there, alive and breathing. 

“Clary.” She heard Simon’s quiet voice come from behind her. “We should go. I can hear someone coming.” 

Clary had to remind herself that this wasn’t really her mother, before pulling away and nodding.

“It’s so good to see you again.” Her mom smiled widely, then red covered Clary’s vision. It splattered over her face and her clothes. It took Clary a moment to realize it was blood that she was drenched in. 

“Mom!” Clary yelled for a second time within ten minutes. She caught her mother as she fell, the blood still gurgling from her open throat. Tears stung her eyes and she felt her throat tighten. She had finally had her mother back, and, as soon as she had her, she was taken away again. Just like that. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. Was your little reunion still happening?” Clary’s jaw clenched as she looked up at Simon, who was cackling. 

Taking her seraph blade out, she backed him against the wall. 

“What the hell, Simon?” She yelled, putting the blade to his neck. 

“Oh no, please don't! We were engaged when we were eight! Does that mean nothing to you?” His cackling just got louder. He sobered when he saw that he was the only one laughing. 

Clary didn't understand why he would do this. Jocelyn was like a second mother to him. She loved him. They both did. 

Simon slid a smirk onto his face. 

“What's the matter, Clary? Does it hurt to lose a mother? Gee, I wonder what that must feel like.” There was a dark gleam to his eyes, one that terrified Clary. 

Her Simon would never turn out like this. He would never kill Jocelyn or anyone for that matter. 

But this wasn't her Simon. She knew that now. 

Pain burst in her side as she fell to the floor. Simon kneed her and then knelt down beside her, still grinning. 

“I suppose this is where I do my dramatic villain monologue, yes?” He asked, licking the blood off of his fingers one by one. “Too bad for you. I don't really have one prepared. Blah blah blah I hate you. Blah blah blah I will kill everyone you love. God, it's just so cliché. So, I'm gonna pass. See ya later, Clary.” 

With that, Simon left her laying on the ground next to the corpse of her mother. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next item on Simon’s To-Do list was Raphael. No, he wasn’t going to do Raphael, although that was a very appealing thought. 

Instead, he was going to recruit Raphael. As the leader of the New York vampire clan, he would be a very useful ally indeed. 

It was simple really. All he had to do was ask him for help. If Simon was in need, Raphael would come to his side, guns blazing. It was funny but Simon actually cared about him. He was the only one that actually helped him. 

Raphael had been the one to save him from Camille, not the shadowhunters. Raphael had been the one to warn him against coming back, not the shadowhunters. He was the one that saved him, time and time again. 

Raphael was reliable. Raphael cared. That was more than he could say for Clary. 

Once he had Raphael on his side, he turned to his next order of business. 

Camille Belcourt. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Are you sure about this, mi sol?” Raphael whispered. They were just outside of the apartment they tracked Camille to. It had taken them two weeks but they finally did it. 

“Of course I'm sure. Why? Do you want her alive?” Simon snapped. He was exhausted, and starving. A couple of mundanes had satisfied his hunger, but he really needed something more. He hadn't tasted vampire blood yet, but there was a first time for everything. 

“No. But her death will hurt you. The sire bond, remember?” Concern was evident in both Raphael’s voice and eyes. Simon laughed. The sire bond was one of the main reasons he wanted Camille dead. If he ignored the sexual abuse and murder part of their past, it would still leave that damned sire bond. 

Camille had a hold over him, whether he liked it or not. She could make him loyal to her, and Simon couldn't have that, which was another reason Raphael was brought with him. If Simon backed out because of the sire bond, Raphael needed to be there to finish the job. 

“Yeah, I know.” Simon kicked open the door and waltzed into the building like he owned the place. 

“Honey, I'm home!” He called. 

In a blink of an eye, Camille was in front of them, fangs at the ready. 

“Hello, darling. Raphael.” She sneered, crossing her arms. “Not that I don't appreciate the visit, but I really don't appreciate it. Why are you here?”

“What’s wrong? You don’t want to see me?” Simon put a hand to his heart. This was honestly offensive. Simon was taking time out of his extremely busy schedule to see Camille, and this was the thanks he got? The disrespect was real.

“You know, there was a time I was afraid of you, Camille.” He continued, walking up to her slowly. “Then I decided that fear was holding me back, and here we are.”

“What do you want?” She asked. 

“I want your heart.” Camille’s nose scrunched up like she had just smelled something disgusting. 

“No thank you, my little caramel. My heart belongs to one person, and they sure as hell aren’t you.” How sweet. The bitch could feel. Of course, that one person was probably herself. Simon wasn’t stupid enough to believe anything else. 

“That wasn’t what I meant.” In one fluid motion, Simon used all his strength to plunge his hand into Camille’s chest, his fist closing around her still heart. Her mouth formed an ‘o’ before she went completely slack.

“That was easier than I thought it’d be. This means we have time for The Avengers, right?” Raphael groaned as Simon dragged him out of the apartment and to the cinema.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“He what?” Jace slammed his hand on the table. Clary bit her lip, barely holding in her sobs. Simon killed her mother right in front of her. The two most important people in her life were gone. 

“I think she made it quite clear, Jace. Salmon killed Jocelyn.” Magnus sighed, his voice not holding its usual uplifting tone. “I gotta make a call.”

Magnus left the room, leaving Clary with Jace and the Lightwoods. Isabelle hugged Clary, holding her close as she cried into her shoulder.

“I’m gonna kill him.” Jace growled, grabbing a seraph blade from their weapons stash. 

“Jace, no,” Alec tried to reason, “he’ll just kill you too.” 

“He won’t get the chance.” The blond smirked and was about to leave when Magnus returned.

“Raphael doesn’t know where Simone is.” Jace sighed. 

“I’ll find him. Don’t worry.” His grip on his blade tightened as he made his way out the door.

 

It took less than four hours for Jace’s body to show up at the institute. All the blood was drained from his body and a message was scrawled onto his chest in blood.

“Congrats on your spectacular failure.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After Jace’s death, the institute wasn’t the same. Izzy didn’t smile as much and Alec became more withdrawn, not even flirting with Magnus. 

Clary had finally had enough. Root or no root, she needed to go home. She couldn’t just sit here and watch everyone die. The other Clary would be able to handle this. She was used to this world, where Izzy was her girlfriend, where Simon was psychotic, where everything was wrong. 

“Magnus, I need your help.” Once she explained her situation, Magnus understood. Of course, he did. Magnus helped her in the other dimension, so he would be able to help her here too. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They had a plan. They would portal Clary home through an old passage in downtown Brooklyn. Magnus, Alec, and Isabelle would cover her as she passed through, then their Clary would return. 

They had a plan.

It would’ve went off without a hitch too, if Simon hadn’t been waiting for them. 

“Raphael.” Magnus breathed out. Raphael quirked an eyebrow, as if he were unimpressed with the sight of them.

“Hey, everyone.” Simon smiled. Alec shot an arrow at him and Simon dodged.

“That wasn’t very nice.” He mocked offence, as Clary took out her blade. 

“Simon, we don't have to do this.” 

“You’re right. We don't. In fact, Raph and I were about to let you go.” Clary nearly dropped her blade in shock. It didn't seem right for him to just be letting her go like that. Especially since it wasn't without a fight. 

“What?”

“Well, it's no fun messing with someone else’s Clary. Actually, that's a lie. It was a little fun.” He grinned. “However, our time has come to an end, and I need my Clary back. So, go ahead. Leave. My business lies with the Clary of my dimension and these lovely people.” He gave a short little wave to them then turned back to Clary. 

“That's awfully kind of you.” She said, her voice dripping with disdain. 

“I know right? I'm such a saint.” Clary chewed on her bottom lip and glanced at her friends. 

“I'm sorry.” 

“It's okay. This isn't your fight.” Alec said quietly, pulling another arrow from his quiver. 

Clary stepped through the portal, just as Simon launched himself at the archer, tackling him to the ground, fangs out. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She stumbled out of the portal, right into Simon’s arms. 

“Wow, there. You okay?” Simon asked, helping Clary steady herself. She lept back, ready to strike if Simon made a move. 

“Clary, what the hell happened back there?” 

“Your mom’s alive. Right?” Clary sent him a glare. Her heart wasn't really in it. She just needed the clarification. 

“Yeah, alive and as overbearing as ever. Why?” She threw the blade to the ground and hugged Simon, squeezing him half to death. 

“Clary, what happened?” Simon laughed, squeezing her right back. 

“You don't even want to know.” 

Maybe Clary didn't return with the root, and maybe she wouldn't be able to go back and fix the damage she had done. But, she lived in a world where her mom was alive. She lived in a world where she still had Simon, and maybe a chance at romance with Isabelle. So, yeah, maybe her world wasn't perfect, but she still had the people she loved most in her life, and that was all that mattered.


End file.
